Laminated wood culvert and the like



May l, 19,34.

P. E. HOAK LAMINATED WOOD CULVERT AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 13, 1933 Patented May l, 1934 LAMINATED W001i CULVERT AND THE UKE Percy E. Hoak, Des Moines, Iowa Application January 13, 1933, Serial No. 651,456

Claims. (Cl. 61-16) Lesen? The object of my invention is to provide a laminated wood culvert and the like of novel and simple construction having a peculiar type of joint.

e More particularly, it is my object to provide such a structure in which the joints can be arranged in a variety of ways for accomplishing different purposes.

With these and. other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my laminated wood culvert and the like, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims,

l5 and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section oi wood culvert embodying my invention, parts being broken away for better illustrating the joints.

2o Figure 2 is an end elevation of the section, parts being shown in section.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the units of a section before assembly.

Figures 4 and 5 are elevations of the successive laminaticns ci a particular form of my wood culvert.

Figures 6 and 7 show elevations of the successive laminations of a slightly different form; and

Figures 8 and 9 show similar elevations of the successive laminations of another form in which my invention may be embodied.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown in Figure 1 a section of culvert embodying my invention, parts being omitted. lvl'y culvert is made oi laminated wood members in the form of boards or strips laid side by side. I have shown and will describe the culvert as though it were rectangular, but, or course, it might have other shapes. It will be understood that the wood is treated as by cre- 40 osoting.

In the preferred embodiments of my invention, I preferably make the culvert sections by building up top, bottom and side units, each of laminated strips.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, I have illustrated one form in which my invention may be embodied.

Taking for instance a side unit and considering for a moment the left side unit, as the parts are viewed in the drawing, one strip l0 has its ends cut or beveled as at 11, so as to be inclined from the inner edge of the strip outwardly and upwardly at the bottom and outwardly and downwardly at the top. The next lamination would be like the member 12, which has square ends and is long enough to extend between the top and bottom units.

rfhus in such a side unit is formed a successive series of pockets 13 at each end of the unit. The Y sides of these pockets are formed between the projecting beveled end portions oi the members 10.

The right-hand unit is exactly the same as the left-hand unit except that it is simply turned around.

The bottom unit is formed with a rst lamination or member le having a squared end at its right-hand end intended and adapted to extend to the outside edge of the finished culvert and of such length that its left-hand end extends to the outside or" the finished culvert. In the upper face oi the member 1li at the left-hand end is a notch with a vertical race at its right-hand end and inclined upwardly and outwardly from the vertical face as indicated at 15.

The second or next laminated member 17 of the bottom unit is exactly like the member 14 except that it is turned end for end. The further members are arranged in the same Way.

The various members of each unit are nailed Si)Y together by means of nails 18.

Thus the side and end units are arranged so that the ends oi the members 10 of the left side unit t into the notches 15 at the left end of the bottom unit, and the lower ends of the members 12 of the left side unit rest upon the upper faces of the ends of the alternate members 17 of the bottom unit. So likewise the lower ends of the members 12 of the right-hand units rest on the right end ends of the members 14 of the bottom 90 units, while the ends oi the members 10 ci the right-hand side unit rest in the notches 15 of the members 17 at the right end thereof in the case of the bottom unit.

The top unit is made by forming laminations, the first member 19 being exactly like the member le turned upside down. The second member 29 is exactly like the member 17 turned upside down.

The top unit will then slip downwardly over the side units into position.

The bottom unit can be nailed to the side unit as by nails 21 ii desired and similarly by nails 21 thetop unit can be nailed to the side unit.

In Figure 2, there is shown a first lamination of such a culvert section. The second lamination will be as though the one shown in Figure 2 were turned around horizontally in a half circle.

' I have already called attention to the pockets 13 at the ends of the side units. These are'staggered in the opposite side units.

The bottom unit has at each end in the successive laminations the notches 15 which form pockets. These notches are staggered at the opposite ends of the bottom unit.

The top unit has similar pockets 15 which align with the pockets 15 or the bottom unit.

This arrangement of the lamina-tions and the units enables the units to be set together in a convenient way and provides a structure, which when completed has such an arrangement of the pockets 15 of the top and bottom units that the parts will be held in piace when assembled without the use of any nails 2l as long as the culvert section is not turned over.

In Figures 4 and 5, I have shown another form in which my invention may be embodied. Figure 4 shows one lamination and Figure 5 the next successive lamination. I preferably, however, build the culverts employing the laminations illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 by making side, top and bottom Units in the manner hereinbeiore described for the form illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

It will be noted that in the form shown in Figures 4 and 5, the iirst lamination of the bottom unit comprises a member 24 having its left-hand end squared, extending the full width of the culvert, and having in the upper surface of its righthand end a notch 15 or the kind already described. The next lamination of the bottom unit has a member 25 exactly like the member 24 but turned end for end. The top unit is exactly the same except that the bottom unit is turned over like the page of a book a full half circle. The first lamination of a member of the top unit is indicated at 26 and the second at 27.

Thus in this form, the top and bottom units are interchangeable.

The iirst lamination of the left side unit is indicated at 28 and has its lower end squared and adapted to rest upon the upper surface of the member 24. The upper end of the member 28 is beveled as at 23a to t into the notch 15 of the rst lamination of the top unit. The next successive lamination of the side unit is made of a member just like the member 28 and upside down, indicated at 29 in Figure 5, with its lower end adapted to fit into the notch l5 of the second lamination of the bottom unit and with its upper end squared to fit under the left-hand end of the second lamination 27 of the top unit. The right-hand unit is exactly the same as the lefthand unit, except that it is turned over or upside down. The first lamination is indicated at 30 in Figure 4 and the second at 31 in Figure 5.

Thus in the form of the device shown in Figures 4 and 5 where the finished culvert is rectangular, only two standard laminations or members need be cut. The members 24, 25, 26 and 27 are exactly alike and the members 28, 29, 30 and 31 are exactly alike.

Likewise only two units need be built up. The right and left-hand units are the saine and the top and bottom units are the same.

This is a very simple form of structure in which the sawing operation is reduced to a minimum.

Only two standard members are necessary for building up the completed culvert. This particularly lends to building culvert sections of any length from two members. Every upright member rests firmly upon one of the bottom members and every member of the top unit rests iirmly on one ot the members of a side unit. The

. pockets formed by the notches 15 are such as to interlock the side units with the top and bottom units.

In Figures 6 and 7, I have shown still another form in which my invention embodying the particular notches herein mentioned may be used. In Figure 6 is shown the rst and in Figure 7 the second lamination of a section or" culvert. The side and bottom units are so built up that the rst lamination has a bottom member 32 with notches 15 at both ends. The rst lamination of the top unit is formed of a similar member 33 turned upside down having the notches 15 at both ends.

Each of the side units has a first lamination 34 and 35 respectively provided with beveled ends to iit the notches 15 of the top and bottom units. The second lamination of this form of my device has bottom and top members 36 exactly alike with squared ends and extending the full width of the culvert. It has side members 37 with squared ends received between the ends of the members 36.

Thus in the left side unit the members 34 and 37 alternate. In the riffht side unit, the members 35 and 37 alternate. In the bottom unit the members 32 and alternate and in the top unit the members 33 and 36 alternate.

In each successive lamination, the bottom unit has pockets formed by the notches 15 and the top unit pockets formed by the notches l5.

In Figures 8 and 9 is shown still another modirled form of my invention in which a single member can be used for all four sides of a culvert, and in which each upright member rests at least in part on a bottom member and each top member rests at least in part on an upright member.

Figure 8 shows the rst and Figure 9 the second lamination of such a form.

In this form of the device, the sections or culvert are preferably formed lamination by lamination in the factory and are not built up in units as in the case of the other forms.

Each member has one end beveled. Each member 38 has one end beveled as at 39 and has at the other end a notch 15 similar to that already described.

The units are arranged successively around the particular lamination as shown in Figure 3. All

CJI

the la-minations can be built up alike and then f,

one is turned a half turn with relation to the other to make the successive laminations.

The form shown in Figures 8 and 9 can be made in units as in the case of the other forms,

but it is rather awkward then to put them to- 'f gether. This makes a very satisfactory interlocked structure with a single standard member.

It will be seen from the foregoing that culvert sections having a considerable variety of forms may be made with a joint of the kind herein considered. For practical purposes, the form shown in Figures l and 5 has perhaps as many advantages as any of these forms.

Still further modications could be made without departing from the essential spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my purpose to cover by my claims any such modifications as may come within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

l. A culvert structure of the kind described,

eled ends of the strips at the top and at the bottom of each side, the square ended strips of one side being staggered With relation to the square ended strips or the other side, said culvert having top and bottom members, each comprising a series of strips in lamina ed arrangement, each such last strip having at one end in its edge designed to be on the inside of the culvert a beveled notch to receive the beveled end of a side strip, the notches being at opposite ends in successive strips and having its other end squared and fitted into the slot or" a side.

2. In a culvert structure, sides each comprising strips in laminated arrangement, the successive strips being respectively squared and beveled at their ends, the alternate bevel end strips being longer than the intermediate strips, to provide staggered slots in the opposite ends of the sides, and a top and a bottom each formed of strips in laminated arrangement, having in their inner edges designed to be in the inner face of the culvert, beveled slots to receive said beveled ends.

3. In a culvert structure, sides, each comprising strips in laminated arrangement, the ends of t e strips at each end of each side being alternately beveled and squared, the beveled ends projecting beyond the squared ends, and a top and a bottom each comprising strips in laminated arrangement, having in their edges on the inside o1" the culvert beveled slots receiving the beveled ends of the strips of the sides.

e. In a culvert, sides, a top and a bottom, each comprising strips in laminated arrangement, the successive strips of each side end of the top and bottom being respectively squared at one end and beveled at the other, With the squared ends projectng beyond the adjacent beveled ends, each strip having in its edge on the inside of the culvert, at its squared end, a beveled slot, to receive the beveled end of another strip.

5. In a culvert, sides, each comprising strips in laminated arrangement, each such side having at each end, alternately beveled and squared strip ends, arranged -to form projections and notches, and a top and a bottom each comprising strips in laminated arrangement with beveled slots on the inside of the culvert receiving the beveled ends of the strips of the sides.

PERCY E. HOAK. 

